


Camouflage and Christmas Lights

by LiveLaughLovex



Series: to love (and to be loved) [3]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Established Relationship, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 15:56:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17164904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiveLaughLovex/pseuds/LiveLaughLovex
Summary: The five Christmases Kono Kalakaua and Steve McGarrett spend apart after becoming a couple, and the one they don't.





	1. 2004

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this comes from the Rodney Carrington Christmas song by the same name. I hope you enjoy!

Kono had no idea where Steve was during their first Christmas as a couple. He’d told her during their last phone conversation that he’d be downrange for the holidays. She’d promised not to worry about him. It was a promise she was still trying – and failing – to keep.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” her mother insisted for the tenth time in an hour. “Your father always used to say that, in the service, no news is good news. It’s _Christmas Eve_ , sweetheart. They’re probably celebrating, just the same as we are. Take a breath and stop worrying so much. You know Steven wouldn’t want you to.” 

“No, he wouldn’t, but it’s easier said than done, Mom.” Kono brushed a stray curl behind her ear and smoothed down the skirt of the dress her mother had insisted she wear for the evening mass. “I haven’t talked to him in two weeks. There’s a lot that could’ve gone wrong since then.”

“If anything had gone wrong, then John or Mary Ann would have called you, and you know that.” Her mother sighed heavily when Kono’s facial expression remained unchanged. “I can already tell that there isn’t going to be a thing I can say to get you into the holiday spirit, so I’m just going to leave you to your own devices now. We leave for the church in thirty minutes. Make sure you’re ready by then, all right?”

Kono nodded and watched as her mother left the room, sighing when the door closed behind the older woman. She really didn’t mean to bring down the mood of those around her, and she knew her mother was right. Steve wouldn’t want her to worry. Despite her best efforts, it was impossible not to.

They’d had so little time together in South Korea, just a few stolen weeks in between equally busy schedules, and the idea of losing him before she’d ever really had him made her sick to her stomach. That wasn’t something she could discuss with her mother, though, the woman who’d been made a widowed mother of four before her thirtieth birthday.

In all fairness to her mother, it didn’t really feel like something she could discuss with anyone. Perhaps that was why she was still trying her best to avoid the cheeriest members of her family at all costs.

The phone began to ring just as she slipped on the bracelet left to her by her great-grandmother. She made her way across the room to answer the call, limping slightly due to the fact that one foot was encased in a pump and the other was not. “Kalakaua residence,” she stated after removing the phone from its hook.

“You were very polite just then,” her boyfriend informed her from the other end of the line. “I almost didn’t recognize your voice.”

“Steve!” she exclaimed, nearly dropping the phone in shock as his words sank in. “Hi! How are you? How are you calling? I thought you weren’t going to be able to talk for a while. Is everything all right?”

“One question at a time, please,” he begged amusedly. “But to answer the ones you’ve already asked – I’m fine, everything’s fine, and I’m calling because we were called back in sooner than the captain said, and I wanted to let you know I was alive and in one piece. Figured it was the least I could do, especially after worrying you for two weeks straight.”

“Well, I mean, I haven’t been worrying for two weeks straight.” Kono sighed when she was met with dubious silence. “Okay, maybe I have been. It’s not like I can control it. This is not a perfect world, Steve. In a perfect world, you’d be the only one with guns and grenades.”

“I think that, in a perfect world, there’d be no need for guns and grenades,” he pointed out.

“Oh, you know what I mean,” Kono grumbled, exasperatedly shaking her head and then softening her tone before speaking again. “I’m glad you’re not out fighting a war on Christmas.”

“Me too,” Steve agreed readily. “It’s getting pretty festive around here. One of the guys’ wives just had a little girl, and she sent him a picture of all three of their kids in the hospital, wearing Santa hats. It’s the captain’s screensaver now.”

“You know, when you and Freddie described him as a proud father, I really thought you were just joking, but it seems that’s exactly what he is.” Kono glanced over at the clock on the wall, relieved to see she still had fifteen minutes before she needed to be ready to go. “So, I have a question. How’d you know to call me here, instead of at my place?”

“I do listen to you when you talk, Kono. I remembered you said you attend two masses on Christmas Eve, the first at five o’clock, so I figured you were at your mom’s house instead of the apartment by now. I’m just glad I was right.” Steve held the phone away from him for a moment to listen to something being said to him in the background. “Hey, Kono, Freddie wants to say hello,” he told her after a minute.

“Put him on,” Kono responded immediately.

Freddie was the only member of Steve’s unit she’d ever met. They’d run into each other at a bar in South Korea whilst she and Steve were on a date, and their friendship had been instantaneous, held together by both mutual respect and a constant concern for Steve. Other than her boyfriend, he was the only person that she worried about on a daily basis, even if it was for very different reasons.

“Hey, Kalakaua,” Freddie greeted enthusiastically the moment the phone was handed over. “Merry Christmas.”

“Thanks, Freddie,” Kono laughed. “Are the two of you getting in the Christmas spirit?”

“Well, we’ve eaten our weight in Christmas cookies since getting here. Does that count?” he asked.

“I will allow it,” Kono teased back. “Hey, how’re things going with Kelly?”

“We are officially off-again. She’s dating a stockbroker from New York City.”

“Well, she doesn’t know what she’s missing,” Kono told him seriously. “And she is not worth your time.”

“You’re starting to sound like my mother,” he informed her amusedly. “But I appreciate the sentiment all the same. I’m going to give you back to your boyfriend now, because he’s glaring at me with such focus right now that I’m legitimately concerned there will soon be holes in the side of my face.”

“Okay,” Kono sighed, though there was still a smile present on her face at the picture Freddie painted. “Merry Christmas, Hart.”

“You too, Kalakaua,” he returned before handing the phone back over to Steve and promptly taking his leave.

“I was not glaring holes in the side of his face,” Steve promised the moment the phone was back against his ear. “He was over-stating the situation.”

“I’m sure he was,” Kono replied, amused. “You are aware you sound like a little kid trying to place all the blame on his brother, right?’

“I figured, but I was hoping that wasn’t how it was coming across,” he admitted, promptly changing the subject. “Hey, has a delivery showed up at your mom’s place for you today?”

“No. Why? Should I be expecting one?” Kono asked suspiciously.

“I do not know how to answer that without giving anything away, so I’m just going to plead the fifth,” he declared seriously.

“Unless the delivery’s cocaine, I don’t see how refusing to incriminate yourself is going to help your situation. Wait, hold on a second. The doorbell just rang, and I guarantee my mother’s not going to get it. She doesn’t think people should bother other people on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Don’t ask,” Kono begged before he could even open his mouth.

“I was not planning to,” he promised. “Just so you know, though, your mother’s far from the strangest person I’ve encountered.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Kono muttered, making her way through the living room and to the front door. She smiled politely at the man standing there, then sighed for the package she had yet to see. She couldn’t hold back her grin when she was promptly handed a large bouquet of colorful flowers and then bid good day. “I thought we said no presents this year,” she scolded lightly as she searched for the card.

_Merry Christmas, surfer girl. Love you. – S._

“I know we did, but I figured flowers did not count,” Steve defended himself. “And I couldn’t just not do _anything_. I just wish I could be there to give them to you in person.”

“So do I. Maybe next year,” she said hopefully.

“Yeah. Maybe next year.”


	2. 2005

They weren’t together for their second Christmas, either. Steve was called out on a mission three days before the twenty-fifth rolled around, and he was still in the field on Christmas Day. Instead of dwelling on it, Kono spent a lot of time with her brother’s newborn little girl. No, it wasn’t ideal to be alone for the holidays yet again, but there was nothing a few cuddle sessions with a tiny little baby couldn’t fix.

It wasn’t just Steve missing during the holidays. Her sisters were both on the mainland. Her mother was spending Christmas Eve and Day with her sister on Maui. Chin Ho and Malia were visiting Malia’s parents on the other side of Oahu. Seth and Bridget were the only members of her family left, and they were so exhausted by Maia’s recent arrival to really be in the Christmas spirit. Needless to say, Kono wasn’t having the holly-jolliest of times, and she couldn’t see her mood changing anytime soon.

“We could go see the lights,” Bridget suggested the morning of Christmas Eve. “We wouldn’t have to get out of the car for that. Maia would probably sleep right through, and even if she didn’t, she would just be bothering the three of us, not a roomful of strangers.”

“Thanks for offering, Bridge, but both you and Seth look like you’re about to fall over. Go and lie down,” Kono ordered, pointing to the stairs. “Maia and I can chill down here by ourselves for an hour or two.”

“Are you sure?” Bridget asked nervously. “She’s been fussier than usual lately, and I don’t want you to have to spend your entire Christmas Eve dealing with a screaming baby…”

“She’s not just any screaming baby; she’s my niece,” Kono pointed out. “Now go. Sleep. We will be fine. I helped with Hannah when she was this age, remember?”

“I do think Seth has said something about that before, yes,” Bridget admitted quietly. “Fine. But if she starts screaming her head off, or – or if you need a break, you come and get me, okay? Do you promise?”

“If she gets to be too much to handle, I will come get you,” Kono promised. “Now go. Lie down before you fall down.”

“All right,” Bridget sighed tiredly, turning for the stairs. “Thank you, Kono.”

“Hey,” Kono responded as she lifted Maia from her swing, “this is what family’s for.”

She and Maia had been chilling out on the sofa for two hours, watching Hallmark Channel Christmas movies and scoffing at how ridiculous they were (okay, that was more her than Maia. Her niece simply slept through them), when she heard the telltale sound of the doorbell. She muted the television, risked a quick glance at her niece over in the swing next to the sofa – she was still sleeping – and then stood from the sofa and headed for the foyer of her brother’s home.

“Kono Kalakaua?” the man on the other side of the door asked hesitantly.

“Yes,” she responded. “What can I do for you?”

“I’ve got a delivery for you from a…” He glanced at the list in his hand. “Steven McGarrett?”

Kono sighed amusedly. Another year, another promise not to buy each other anything broken. She was really going to have to up her present game for their third Christmas as a couple. “So, where do I sign?” she asked, accepting the clipboard the man extended in her direction.

“Right there,” he gestured. He flashed a polite smile when she did as told, then handed an envelope and a small package. “Merry Christmas, Miss Kalakaua.”

“Merry Christmas to you, too,” she responded distractedly, turning for the door just as he headed back to his truck. She closed the door behind her, glanced at Maia once again to make sure she was okay, and then settled onto the sofa with the two things the man had handed her.

The first, a small, wrapped box, held a necklace and earrings. They were beautiful, obviously handmade pieces, and she couldn’t help but smile as she brushed the tips of her fingers against the designs carved into them. The second turned out to be a letter.

_Kono –_

_I know we promised no gifts this year, but I saw these while out patrolling a few weeks back and thought of you. Freddie tells me that means I’ve got it bad. It’s only an insult if it’s not true. It is, though, so I don’t really mind._

_The weather’s not awful here. It’s not the greatest, of course. It never is. But it’s not as bad as Afghanistan was. I can breathe in here without inhaling sand. There’s a lot less bullets flying through the air. Considering I’m still technically in a warzone, that’s all I can really ask for._

_I’m not lying when I tell you I’m much safer, but I know you’ll still worry more than you should. You told me once that you thought I was a born warrior, but you, Kono, you are a born worrier. Honestly, at this point, I have no idea which of us has the bigger hero complex. Truthfully, it’s probably you._

_I hope your Christmas is going well. I know you probably miss your dad, and your family’s everywhere right now, which might make the holidays even harder to celebrate, but I’m really hoping you’ve caught at least a little of the Christmas spirit._

_You’ll have to celebrate for both of us this year. There’s not a Christmas cookie in sight at the moment, and I don’t expect any to magically appear before the twenty-fifth. Freddie’s still a little upset about it, but I’ve told him to just get over it. No idea yet if he’ll take my advice._

_I promise I’ll do my best to stay safe and call soon. Don’t worry about me so much; you’ll give yourself an ulcer, and while I would do it without hesitation, I don’t enjoy the idea of seeing you in a hospital bed. You in pain hurts more than any bullet ever could. That’s probably another sign that I’ve got it bad. Again, can’t bring myself to be bothered by how obvious it is._

_Love you._

_Steve_

_P.S. I hope Seth and Bridget are doing well. I know you’re staying with them to help out with little Maia while your mom’s on Maui, so I’m hoping I chose the right place to reach you. If not, I’m sure you’ll get this just the second your brother wakes up enough to realize it isn’t his name in front of “Kalakaua.”_

Kono smiled sadly as she read the last line, blinking back tears as she held the card close to her chest and hoped, not for the first time, that eventually things would get better. That perhaps, their “maybe next year” promises to one another would eventually be kept. Until then, though, she could hold on to hope. After all, it _always_ proved worth the wait. 


	3. 2006

“I cannot believe Freddie managed to get food poisoning from a cookie,” Kono sighed incredulously, pressing the phone closer to her ear as she stirred the tomato sauce she’d just poured into a pot. “Only he could manage to pull something so insane off. _Why_ did he not just wait for them to finish baking?”

“Because he’s an idiot,” Steve replied promptly. “I’m not going to feel bad for him. He did it to himself. Kelly told him to wait until they finished baking. He waited until she was gone. Four minutes, Kono. He waited _four minutes_.”

“That sounds like something I would have done as a kid, so I can’t judge him too harshly.” Kono added oregano to the saucepot in front of her, then redirected her attention to the conversation at hand.

“Yes, you can,” Steve assured her. “You were a kid. He’s a grown man. Completely different things.”

“Well, I’m glad you think so.” Kono smiled. “Oh, speaking of cookies, I dropped some by your dad’s the other day. He said to tell you hi the next time I talked to you. So, you know, hi from your dad.”

“Thanks for passing on the message,” Steve replied amusedly. His voice instantly switched to concern the moment she dropped her stirring spoon into the saucepot and ended up with small flecks of pasta sauce on her arm, causing her to curse quietly. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she promised. “I’m just a twenty-three-year-old woman who has no idea how to prepare pasta, apparently. I just burned myself with the freaking sauce.” She shook her head exasperatedly before changing the subject. “So. How’s Busan without me?”

“Completely awful,” Steve grumbled good-naturedly. “Freddie’s not nearly as pretty of a roommate.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear you say that. Honestly, I’ve had some doubts,” she teased. “What with all those late nights you two spend together…”

“Very funny,” Steve muttered, though it was obvious by his choice of tone that he was still smiling. Someone spoke in the background, drawing his attention for a moment. “ _What_ , Freddie?”

_“Yeah, sorry for interrupting your moon-eye session with the girl totally out of your league, but you got a package, buddy_ ,” Freddie informed him on the other end of the line. _“By the way – hi, Kono!”_ he called loudly enough for her to hear. _“Merry Christmas!”_

“Merry Christmas to you, too. I’m glad to hear that you’re no longer dying,” she returned teasingly. “Next time, you should probably, you know, _not_ eat raw eggs. Significantly lowers your chances of being taken down by salmonella. It’s scientifically proven. They made a million PSAs about it and everything.”

_“You know what? Sometimes I don’t get this thing between you and McGarrett, but right now? Right now, it makes perfect sense. You’re both jerks.”_

“Sorry, buddy,” Steve said falsely, laughing unapologetically as his friend stormed away. “I love you so much,” he said the moment he was back to being the only one conversing with Kono.

“Love you, too,” Kono responded cheerfully. “So. Have you opened the package yet?”

“Well, no, but – wait,” Steve paused. “Do you know what’s in this box?”

“Well, I did send it, so it would be strange if I didn’t. Open it,” she ordered playfully.

He did as told, drawing in a surprised breath as he removed a first-edition copy of Carson McCullers’ _The Heart is a Lonely Hunter._ “This is – this was my favorite book when I was a kid,” he told her quietly. “My mom used to read it out loud to Mary and me when she was getting ready to study it with her classes.”

“I know. Your dad told me.” Kono smiled as she heard the telltale sound of him flipping through page after page. “I figured it’s probably pretty hard to find libraries or bookstores over there in the middle of a war, so, you know.” She shrugged even though he couldn’t see him. “This way you’ve got something to do with your free time. And, well, now you’ve got a little piece of your mom there with you, too.”

“Thank you, Kono,” Steve murmured, still slightly in shock. “This is – it means a lot,” he finished after a moment. “And I know it couldn’t have been cheap…”

“I’m a professional surfer,” she reminded him playfully. “I think I can take the hit.  Besides, I know how much florists charge on this island, and that was a very large bouquet of roses I got yesterday afternoon. I guarantee your gift probably cost more than mine.” She brushed her fingers against the bracelet she’d also received, an item he’d picked up during yet another patrol in some region of the world she couldn’t know about. “Do you think we’ll ever get to exchange gifts in person?”

“Eventually,” Steve murmured, sadness creeping into his tone.

Just like every other time he uttered the world, she grabbed onto the promise it held and refused to let go. At that point, it was really the only thing keeping her from drowning.

He quickly changed the subject, likely doing anything possible to keep their moods from being dampened by circumstances they couldn’t change. “So. Why are you making yourself pasta in your apartment on Christmas Day?”

“Ah.” Kono placed her phone on the counter and turned it onto speakerphone so she could drain the pasta before it became overcooked and began sticking together. “Well, Andrea and Hannah are both doing their own things this year – on the mainland, of course – and Mom, Seth, and Bridge are in New York City with Maia, visiting Bridget’s parents. Mom went along to keep chaos from erupting on their flight. Maia’s a little fighter these days.”

“Well, she is related to you,” Steve teased.

“Now _you’re_ the one who is being very funny,” she fired back. “By the way, I got a Christmas card from your little sister. I think I’m moving up in the world.”

“Are you kidding? Mare likes you more than she likes me. Dad, too.” Steve chuckled. “You’ve won over all of us McGarretts, it seems, Ms. Kalakaua.”

“Oh, great, my mission’s over,” she responded playfully. “Quick question: do I add the pasta to the sauce, or the sauce to the pasta?”

“Well, unless you used an unnecessarily large pot, adding the pasta to the sauce is going to create a very big mess for you to clean up,” Steve advised.

Kono eyed the saucepan on the stove. “Yeah, that makes more sense.” She groaned helplessly. “We’re going to spend the rest of our lives eating takeout when you’re home. You realize that, right?”

“The rest of our lives, huh?” Steve asked lowly.

Kono’s eyes widened as she realized the implication her words held. “Well, I mean…” she stuttered out.

“No, it’s fine. I could see myself spending the rest of my life with you. Even if it means living off takeout.” Kono could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke.

“I’m not marrying you until we spend at least one Christmas in the same location,” she informed him, back to her usual self now that it was obvious he wasn’t going to run for the hills after her unexpected comment.

“I both understand and agree,” Steve assured her, amused. “Hey, Kono?” he began after a moment. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” she replied, her smile so wide it could’ve split her face right that second.  She couldn’t bring herself to care.

 

 


	4. 2007

“Does it feel even remotely like Christmas there?” Kono asked, balancing the phone between her ear and shoulder as she attempted to make herself a mug of hot cocoa.

“I mean, no,” Steve admitted. “Not to me. I’m used to Hawaiian Christmases, though, so I’m probably not a fair judge. It’s in the thirties out there. I am sure that, to most people, it’d be very festive.” 

“I’ve never understood mainlanders’ love of cold weather,” Kono sighed as she stirred cocoa into the milk she’d just heated up. “Who enjoys being cold enough to get frostbite? I mean, maybe I’m in the minority, but I actually like having all of my toes and fingers.” 

Steve chuckled. “No, I think that’s pretty typical,” he assured her, then changed the subject. “How are you spending your second Christmas without your mom?” 

Victoria was on the mainland with Kono’s newly-engaged elder sister. Kono was fine with it. Well. She was mostly fine with it, at least. 

“Well, you know,” Kono shrugged, ignoring the fact that he couldn’t see her. “I’m going to eat too much Chinese food and make fun of Hallmark Channel’s Christmas movies. As is tradition.” She was finally able to mix the last of the cocoa into her heated milk. It’d somehow proven to be quite a process. “I have midnight mass tonight, and Bridge and I might hang out tomorrow. That’s about all I have planned. How about you?” 

“I have to call my dad and sister,” Steve sighed. “I don’t have anything else planned. Freddie is going to try to convince the captain to let him bake, so I will probably play witness to that. Unfortunately. I already went to our version of a church service, which was really less of a service and more of just a conversation with the chaplain.” 

“Ah. Oh, wait. Doorbell,” Kono told him. “My food is here.” She headed for the front door and thanked the man on the other side of it when he handed over a very large bag of food from a local Chinese takeout place. “Is it ridiculous that I just paid forty dollars to feed - well, myself?” 

“No,” Steve assured her, amused. “That the only delivery that’s come for you today?” he asked after a moment. 

“Oh. I know that voice. That tone means you have something planned.” Kono narrowed her eyes with playful suspicion, ignoring in the moment that he was unable to see the action. “Steven Jack, what did you do?” 

“Me? Nothing,” he replied innocently. “I just might have, you know, sent a delivery your way. You did the same thing,” he reminded her. “Thanks for the book, by the way. Catcher in the Rye was another of Mom’s favorites.” 

“Oh, I know. Your sister is like a little spy, I swear.” Kono had called to ask Mary a question about their mother’s list of classics, and boom, she’d soon been told of every book they’d ever read. “Ah. Just a second. Doorbell again.” 

That time, the delivery was from him. “How do you manage to find jewelry in a war zone every year?” she questioned incredulously. “It’s beautiful; thank you.” He’d also sent flowers, which she quickly put in a vase. “We have traditions now, I guess,” she teased him. “Fourth year in a row you’ve sent me flowers.” 

“I don’t really get to buy them when we’re in the same place,” he pointed out. 

That was true. They saw each other no more than three months out of the year, and they spent most of that time in another part of the world, usually secluded away from the rest of the population. It was what they both preferred, but it did make proffering things such as flowers and other so-called ‘romantic’ items slightly more difficult. 

“Thank you,” she said gratefully. “I love them. As always.” She smiled as she stared down at the bracelet wrapped around her wrist. “Merry Christmas, Steve.” 

She could hear the smile in his voice as he replied. “Merry Christmas, Kono.”


	5. 2008

On their fifth Christmas Eve as a couple, Steve wasn’t the McGarrett Kono received a phone call from. Instead, it was his sister, panicked about the phone call  _ she’d _ just received from their father. It seemed that the Lieutenant Commander had been wounded on Monday, but, since his injuries weren’t terminal, it’d taken the U.S. Navy forty-eight hours to get around to telling his family. 

Kono went numb at the news. Knowing he was alive and intact didn’t make her feel any better. It was the first time since they’d begun seeing each other nearly five years earlier that he’d been hurt in the line of duty, and he was on the other side of the world, making it impossible for her to do much of anything. She felt rather helpless - and rather hopeless - which was perhaps why she ended up on her mother’s sofa hours before they were set to leave for midnight mass. 

Victoria was sympathetic, of course. “It’s hard to love someone who spends their days doing what he does,” she agreed, running a hand through her daughter’s hair as Kono mindlessly watched the Christmas movie playing in the background. “I thank God every day that I did not know your dad while Vietnam was going on. I would have ended up turning both of us into nervous wrecks. You just need to have faith,  _ keiki _ ,” she reminded her. “He’s alive. He’s breathing. And, right now, you need to see that as enough. That  _ should be _ enough.” 

It was. Kono knew it was. For some reason, it was just proving difficult for her to understand that he’d someone faced death and emerged unscathed. 

She accompanied her family to Christmas Eve mass, hung out with Maia and her brother’s new little girl, Ruby, and then returned promptly to the seclusion of her apartment, foregoing the family’s traditional Christmas breakfast. She slept fitfully that night, unable to find a comfortable position, and woke up much too early. Instead of trying to go back to sleep, she simply spent several hours staring up at her bedroom ceiling before finally getting up. 

She made breakfast for herself, a simple meal of eggs and bacon, and ate it on the sofa in front of the television, watching CNN and doing her best to hold in her panic when the war correspondents began speaking. Steve was apparently no longer in a war zone - according to Mary Ann, he’d been taken to Germany for treatment - so it wasn’t as if he was in the thick of the things they were describing. He had been, though, and perhaps  that was what made her sick to her stomach. 

Mary Ann and John both called to check in on her. Steve wasn’t as close to his family as he’d like to be, but she could tell from those phone calls alone that they felt the same. Mary Ann told her stories from the childhood they’d had taken from them too soon, while John told her about Steve’s days at the Naval Academy and how proud he was of his son’s accomplishments. Both McGarretts were rather emotional when the calls ended, which was fine. She was rather emotional, too. 

The call she’d been secretly hoping for came in at just past three on Christmas Day. She was on the couch, staring tearfully at the bouquet of flowers that had arrived the day before - of course he had someone found a way to pull  _ that _ tradition off from a hospital bed - when the phone began to ring. 

She reached for it blindly, answering, “Kono,” when it was pressed against her ear and then nearly dropping the phone in shock when she received a reply. 

“Hi,” Steve murmured roughly from the other end of the line. “Merry Christmas.” 

“Oh, my - Steve?” she asked incredulously. “Are you - I thought you were in the hospital. Your dad and Mary called, and…” She cut herself off. “Never mind. Are you okay?” 

“I’m doing fine,” he promised. “And I  _ am _ in the hospital. I’m probably not going back to a war zone for at least another couple months.” He chuckled without any real amusement. “Bullets will do that to you, apparently. That’s what the doctors told me.” 

“You were  _ shot _ ?” Kono asked, still in a state of shock. 

“Right. I guess Dad and Mare left that part out.” He drew in a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. “I am  _ fine _ ,” he promised yet again. “It wasn’t much more than a graze.” 

“Grazes don’t typically land people in the hospital, Steve,” she pointed out tiredly. “But I’m just so glad to hear from you that I’m going to let it slide.” 

“Thank you,” he replied gratefully. “So. Did you get the flowers?”

Kono laughed tearfully. “I got the flowers. They’re beautiful. Did you get the book?” 

“I did. How did you manage to hunt down a first-edition copy of  _ To Kill a Mockingbird _ ?” 

“I’ve had a lot of free time this year,” Kono pointed out. She’d been hurt in a competition in January, effectively ending her surfing career, and had only just gotten back on her feet. “I was surfing the web instead of the sea for a good portion of it.” 

Steve chuckled at that. “Well, thank you. I’m slowly but surely building myself a library over here with all these books you keep sending.” 

“Well, I would send flowers, but I don’t want you to get bullied by Freddie,” she teased, feeling much lighter now that she’d heard assurances from her boyfriend himself that he was doing fine. 

“He would be the type to do that,” Steve agreed. “Especially now that he and Kelly are off-again. Again.” 

“What? No!” Kono exclaimed. “Why?” 

“I don’t know. I’m not a gossip,” he teased. “But he said she can’t stand him again, so I’m guessing he finally did something to make her come to her senses.” 

“Steven Jack McGarrett, he is your  _ best friend _ ,” she reminded him sternly. “Don’t make fun of him.” 

“Fine,” Steve grumbled good-naturedly. “Hey. Why aren’t you at your mom’s right now? I called over there first, but she told me you’d decided to spend the day at home.” 

“Well, you know.” Kono picked at a loose thread on the cushion propped up in her lap. “I wasn’t exactly in the Christmas spirit, and I didn’t want to bring anyone else down with me.” 

“Ah.” Steve sighed. “I’m sorry for worrying you.” 

“Don’t be. You were just doing your job. I’ll be fine.” She drew in a deep breath and then changed the subject. “How’s the food there?” 

“Passable,” he told her seriously. “Nothing like how Christmas dinner  _ should _ be, but…” She could hear the smile in his voice. “I miss you.” 

“I miss you, too.” She cleared her throat. “Did they have any cookies, or…” 

“I mean, yes, but they’re dry enough to choke a man, so…” Steve trailed off. “You’re still worrying, aren’t you?” 

“Can’t help it,” she replied, sighing heavily. 

“Well, if I promise not to spend next Christmas in a hospital bed, will you promise to try your best?” 

“Yeah.” She smiled. “I will.” 

“Okay. I promise. Now, tell me about your day.” 

 


	6. 2009

They’d celebrated five Christmases apart before they were finally able to celebrate one together. It wasn’t exactly a planned thing, of course. Things between the two of them rarely seemed to be. Steve was granted a week’s leave at the last moment. It wasn’t complete freedom - he still had to stay in Asia, as something might come up that required his expertise - but it was more than he’d ever had before. He called Kono the moment the news reached him, and she didn’t even hesitate before agreeing to fly out to spend Christmas Day - and the days preceding and following it - with him in South Korea. By the time he called, she had one day to pack and prepare for the thirteen-hour flight. First, though, she had to tell her mother she’d miss out on celebrating with the family. 

Victoria was far from amused by her daughter’s sudden change of plans. If there was one thing Kono had learned about her mother over the years, it was that the woman was a creature of habit. She thrived on order, and when the rug was ripped out from under her at the last minute, she rarely reacted well. 

“I just don’t understand why Steven can’t come here for the holidays,” her mother sighed as she sat on Kono’s bed and watched her daughter pack. “This is his home, too, after all. I’m sure his father would be delighted to see him.” 

“I’m sure he would be, too, Mom, and Steve would love to spend the holidays here, but he can’t,” she reiterated. “The Navy needs him there in South Korea. It’s a miracle he’s getting any time off at all.” 

“I know,” Victoria sighed. “I know, and I really am very glad that the two of you are getting some time together, sweetheart. I just wish you were able to spend the holidays… well, here.” 

Kono turned away from gathering clothing from one of her drawers to flash her mother an apologetic smile. “I know. So do I. Next year, okay?” she promised. 

Victoria nodded with a slight smile. “So. Where are you flying in?” 

“Busan,” Kono told her. “There’s an airport there, and it’s pretty close to both base and his place, so it’s the most practical.” 

She moved across the room to rifle through her closet in search of a dress whilst her mother spoke about the plans for the Kalakaua Christmas. Kono didn’t know why her mother felt the need to explain them all to her; it wasn’t like she’d been absent all the years of her life. Still, she let Victoria have her way, simply because it was so much easier than the alternative. 

“And you’ll attend mass?” her mother asked for the hundredth time. It was if she’d forgotten her child’s boyfriend had been raised as Catholic as Kono was. 

“Yep. There’s several cathedrals,” Kono told her again. “Steve’s attended services at one of them before; he says it’s nice.” She finally managed to finish packing and get her suitcase zipped up. “All right,” she sighed. “Ready.” 

“Kono,” Victoria said from next to her, drawing her attention. Her mother offered her a tentative smile. “I really am glad you’ve found someone worth celebrating Christmas with,  _ keiki _ .” 

Kono couldn’t bite back the smile that came to her at that. “Yeah,” she murmured back. “Me, too.” 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

Her flight into Busan touched down early on the morning of the twenty-third. Steve was already on leave, so he was able to pick her up at the airport. He wasn’t dressed in his uniform, like he tended to be whenever they saw one another the first time. He was in jeans and a plaid shirt she was almost certain she’d gifted him on his last birthday. In his hands, he held a bouquet of roses so large there was no way it couldn’t have cost him an arm and a leg. She didn’t bring it up. He always pointed out, whenever she did, that it wasn’t something he did often, so splurging once or twice a year wasn’t nearly as big a deal as she made it out to be. 

“Hey,” she greeted as she crossed to him, gasping in surprise as he scooped her up with his free arm and twirled her around in the air for a moment, his face pressed against her neck as he breathed in her scent. She laughed outright when he placed her feet back on the ground, giddy like a schoolgirl due to his presence alone. “I missed you, too,” she teased as he pulled away to press a kiss to her lips.

“Missed you,” he mumbled against her skin. “Eight months is way too long. Let’s never do that again.”

“Agreed,” Kono replied immediately. “Although, you know, it’s technically your fault. I haven’t gotten a super-secret job with the government at any point during this relationship.”

“Semantics,” Steve waved away, causing her to laugh. “And I did not get a super-secret job. I had one the day we met. It’s why I was walking around on a beach at night in full camouflage, remember?”

“I do vaguely recollect something about that, yes.” They headed for the luggage carousel to collect her bags, and she listened to him talk about the non-classified parts of his past few days - a lot of it was about Freddie’s antics - while they waited. After collecting her bags, they left the airport for the parking lot, where they quickly located his truck and drove away.

It was still a little early for lunch, but Steve had recently discovered a bistro up the street that he was insistent she try, so they stopped there for a brunch that wasn’t exactly that, as she’d eaten on the plane.

She had to admit he was right about the place. Every pastry she ate almost melted in her mouth, and she was left wanting more when the meal was finally over. Granted, they did end up walking a mile or two around the city to burn out the insanely unhealthy number of calories they’d just downed in one sitting, but she truly believed it was worth it.

“So,” she asked as they finally located the truck and climbed back in to head to his apartment across town, “are you planning on ruining my diet further with dinner, or…?”

Steve chuckled quietly at that. “I’m making dinner,” he promised. “And while it won’t be entirely healthy, you won’t feel the need to speed-walk two miles by the end of it. Promise.”

“Okay. I’m putting my faith in you, Steven McGarrett,” she told him as she leaned her head back against the headrest. “Do not make my stomach regret coming all this way.”

“Just your stomach, huh?” he questioned, amused.

“Of course,” she sighed quietly. “I’d never regret coming all this way. You’re here.”

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

Steve kept his promise. He made a pasta dish that night, something she’d never tried that had apparently been a staple in his childhood home. They ate it in front of the television, breaking just about every rule her mother had for food and proper etiquette, and endlessly mocked the mindless romance being displayed on the screen in front of them. 

“I’m just saying, it’s very convenient that all these people manage to walk in on the  _ one  _ conversation in the whole movie that could ruin everything,” Steve pointed out, taking a bite of his pasta.

“Well, if they didn’t do that, then there’d be no movie. No one would get paid.” Kono laid her head against his shoulder. “Honestly, though, I don’t know how to watch these movies without mocking them anymore. They were meant to be heartfelt and tell important stories. Either something got lost in translation, or I am broken and you need to fix me.”

“Oh, it’s not you,” Steve assured her. “Something definitely got lost in translation.” He glanced down at her. “There’s a rerun of a football game on right now,” he suggested.

“Oh, thank God you brought it up so that I didn’t have to,” Kono sighed. “Yes. Please, Change it now, before I completely lose my holiday spirit over this mess.”

Steve chuckled and did just that. 

Kono was rather engrossed in the game when he slipped away, so she didn’t bother to question where he was going, and he didn’t seem all that bothered when he returned a few minutes later, so she figured there was no cause for concern. What she did not expect, especially considering how intact his poker face was, was what happened in the next moment.

“So,” he began, drawing her attention away from the screen, “do you remember how, a few years back, you told me you’d never considering marrying me, no matter how long we’d been together, until we’d spent exactly one Christmas together?”

“Well, yeah,” she laughed quietly. “I mean, it was an eventful conversation…” She trailed off as he stood from the sofa and then promptly fell down onto one knee in front of her. “Wow,” she breathed, her eyes widening and filling with tears in the same instant. “You really took that qualifier to heart, huh?”

“Well, yeah,” he replied honestly. “I’d been thinking about it since the moment I met you.” He shook his head wryly. “Can I get back to proposing, please?” he teased after a moment.

“Yes, yes,” she replied hurriedly. “Go on. Go on!”

“Okay.” He drew in a deep breath as he removed a black velvet box from the pocket of his jeans. He popped it open to reveal a sapphire ring, and Kono had to hold back her gasp at the sight of it. “Kono Kalakaua, I knew the day I met you that I’d always want you in my life. It took me a long time to figure out how to tell you that. Some days, I wonder if I’ve ever managed to get across to you just how much you mean to me. And I can’t promise I’ll suddenly get better at any of it. I can’t promise I’ll always understand you. But I can promise I’ll always love you, and that I will  _ always _ want to spend my time with you, my life with you. So. Will you marry me?”

They both knew her answer long before she uttered it, but, for the sake of his sanity, she said it anyway. “Yes,” she breathed, tears trailing down her cheeks as he removed the ring from its box and slid it onto her left hand. “Yes. Of course. Yes.”

The only thing she was thinking as he stood to scoop her from the sofa and lift her into the air was that she’d never, ever been quite so happy, and she couldn’t imagine ever being quite so happy again. Then again, this was  _ Steve _ she was agreeing to spend the rest of her life with, after all. She’d learned to expect the unexpected when it came to him.

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

They attended midnight mass the following day, and it wasn’t even because of her mother’s nudging. It was because, for the first time in a long time, Kono realized she had a lot to be grateful for. And, at least in her mind, it seemed there wasn’t any better possible time to celebrate that. 

  
  



End file.
